People & Culture Senior Manager

Founded in 1968, the Studio Museum in Harlem is the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally, and internationally and for work that has been inspired and influenced by Black culture. It is a site for the dynamic exchange of ideas about art and society.

The People & Culture (P&C) Senior Manager is responsible for managing the day-to-day human resources operations for the Museum while supporting a positive, inclusive, and mission-driven employee experience. Reporting to the Senior Director of Finance and Human Resources, this role serves as the primary HR partner to the Museum’s employees while collaborating closely with the Finance Department on benefits administration, compliance, and workforce operations.

The P&C Senior Manager oversees recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, benefits coordination, compliance, HR systems administration, and performance management processes. This role requires strong operational execution, emotional intelligence, confidentiality, and the ability to build trusted relationships across departments.

Payroll processing and financial oversight remain within the principal responsibility of the Finance Department, with the P&C Senior Manager responsible for providing direct support to employees in accessing and understanding information about their compensation and benefits.

• Manage the full employee lifecycle including onboarding, employee changes, performance support, and offboarding.
• Maintain employee records within Rippling and SharePoint systems.
• Ensure HR compliance with federal, state, and local employment regulations.
• Partner with Finance to communicate employee payroll changes, leave updates, compensation adjustments, and organizational nuances impacting payroll administration.
• Support administration of FMLA, PFL, Workers’ Compensation, and leave tracking processes.

• In partnership with the Senior Director of Finance and Human Resources, develop and implement recruitment strategies to meet current and future staffing needs
• Oversee recruitment coordination, interview scheduling, and candidate experience processes.
• Facilitate onboarding for all new hires
• Manage HR orientation materials through Canva presentations and onboarding documentation.
• Coordinate onboarding paperwork and employee document collection within Rippling.
• Analyze hiring data and metrics and provide applicable reporting and recommendations
• Develop and maintain standardized recruitment workflows and interview guides

• Serve as primary administrator for Rippling HRIS operations and employee data maintenance.
• Consult with Rippling support regarding escalations, contract additions, and system improvements.
• Maintain digital personnel files in SharePoint and employee documentation within Rippling.
• Support implementation of performance review systems and performance management cadence development.
• Support Open Enrollment administration annually in November for January benefits renewal.
• Coordinate with benefits vendors, retirement providers, and external partners.
• Maintain communication with brokers and HR vendors regarding employee support and organizational updates.

• Support managers and employees with workplace concerns, coaching, and employee relations matters.
• Coordinate compliance training and required workplace notices.
• Assist with EEOC compliance reporting and registration updates.
• Partner with legal counsel and leadership on employee matters as needed.
• Develop strategies and initiatives that support employee success, staff retention, and a positive workplace culture
• Manage employee benefits programs including medical, retirement, leave administration, and wellness initiatives.
• Administer relationships with benefits vendors including retirement and 401(k) providers.

• Manage compliance training including anti-harassment and workplace safety initiatives.
• Support managers with coaching and performance development tools.

• Strong knowledge of employment law, employee relations, benefits administration, and HR…